Carice Van Houten

Carice Anouk van Houten is a Dutch actress and singer probably best known to American audiences for her role as Melisandre, the Red Priestess on “Game of Thrones.” She wrote on her Twitter in 2013, “I’ll be nice to you, let’s keep that mutual.”

Carice is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German. She has won five Golden Calf Awards for Best Actress for her performances in “Suzy Q.” She has also appeared in “Valkyrie” and “Repo Man,” among other projects.

When she auditioned for her role as Melisandre, she wasn’t familiar with the show or the books, and it was actually her friend Seth Meyers who convinced her to take the part. (She met Seth when he lived in Amsterdam years ago.) To van Houten, she thinks fantasy is “goblins and Mr. Spock ears and green characters.” She said of the series, “I love the fact that this is so subtle. There are no weird creatures…at first.”

Of herself, Carice van Houten said, “I never really saw myself as a sexy person. I consider myself a nerd, basically. It’s funny to see people’s reactions. They see what they want to see. They project all their fantasies on me.”

About shooting in chilly Ireland, “The guys have leather armor and hoods. I’m standing there in this little red dress. And you cannot put any thermal underwear on because you can see everything.”

Carice van Houten said Hollywood makes her sad, “I have seen Hollywood and although I have nothing against it, it’s not my kind of life. My agent is shocked that I want to stay in Europe. If Hollywood offers me a great part, of course I’ll take it, but I just don’t want to live there.”

Of her acting style, she said, “I don’t do method acting. If I play a farmer, I’m not gonna spend 3 weeks on a chicken farm. That’s a bit too much for me.” She added about acting, “I do this acting thing mostly for myself. I like to make a connection and communicate with the audience to make myself feel less lonely.”

As part of the Dutch rock band Kate, in 2010 she scored a #1 hit. Her debut album “See You On The Ice” is available via iTunes.

Since 2009, Carice van Houten has been a WWF Ambassador. She is also a big admirer of silent comedies, especially Laurel and Hardy.